Slop bowl 1777 - 1790

Curator: Isn't it charming? We are looking at a ceramic slop bowl crafted sometime between 1777 and 1790 by the Porseleinfabriek Den Haag. It resides here in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: It certainly catches the eye. There's a peculiar delicacy to it, despite its stout form. I mean, what *is* a slop bowl doing with such elegant ornamentation? Curator: The symbolism elevates the mundane. Observe the portrait medallion, wreathed in floral garlands and tied with a ribbon. The Neoclassical aesthetic speaks to a yearning for order and idealized beauty in a time of social upheaval. It’s interesting how this desire found its way into something as ordinary as a vessel for discarding tea dregs. Editor: A porcelain democratization of imagery! And note that bust. It could be anyone – or, more precisely, an *idea* of anyone, referencing classical statuary, elevating the sitter, yes, but also making the image reproducible, a social marker, even. How widely were images like this circulated, making that statement about the social life of art and its democratizing effects. Curator: Precisely. And let’s consider what it *means* to contain or to discard. That porcelain bowl becomes a miniature theater of the human drama, the grand gestures and the forgotten details. Editor: Indeed, an echo of both imperial and quotidian aspirations made humble by the constraints of the piece and materials and the intended, um, content. One can't help but think, where does this delicate artwork belong, the parlor or the kitchen? This slop bowl speaks volumes, and maybe more loudly and clearly than some of its flashier contemporaries. Curator: Perhaps its very function—to receive the refuse of elegant refreshment—renders it even more intriguing. A memento mori in porcelain, reflecting the beauty of daily rituals but also their inherent transience. A celebration of order undermined by human frailty. Editor: It makes one reconsider the politics of good taste—what we choose to display and what we choose to hide away. What an odd treasure to leave for future generations! Curator: I couldn't agree more!